Feature: System safety
ASICs at the heart of
automotive safety By Richard Mount, Director of Sales, Swindon Silicon Systems
N
ils Bohlin, an engineer at Volvo, introduced the three-point seatbelt in 1959. His invention, combined with UK legislation to make
seatbelt wearing mandatory, is estimated to have saved thousands of lives. Te seatbelt is just one example of
a safety feature in our vehicles; but, as cars get increasingly complex and autonomous, what other features are we going to see?
Keeping tyres on track With over 30 million cars on the roads, safety continues to be an area of focus for further innovation and development in the automotive industry. As a result, modern vehicles find themselves host to
16 June 2024
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
many sensors, monitoring the car and alerting its occupants when anything is amiss. Tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) have been a legal requirement in passenger vehicles sold in the EU since 2014. Tese monitor the air pressure inside each tyre in order to detect if the pressure falls below safe levels. TPMS is a valuable safety tool to reduce the risk of tyre blowouts, but it also helps improve fuel efficiency and tyre lifespan, both of which can be adversely affected by under- inflated tyres. Tere are two types of TPMS sensor:
indirect and direct. Indirect sensors estimate the tyre pressure based on information from the vehicle’s anti-lock braking system. Under-inflated tyres
will result in the wheels moving at different speeds, which is something the indirect sensor detects. But because it can’t accurately determine an absolute pressure value, it can be slow to register multiple tyres losing air at the same time. For more reliable measurements,
direct TPMS sensors are the preferred approach. Tis system comprises sensors placed within the valves on each tyre, which record pressure and temperature readings that are then transmitted wirelessly to the central control system for analysis. Unlike the indirect method, the direct TPMS approach offers higher specificity, allowing the system to identify an underinflated tyre and notify the driver, even when the car is stationary.
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